We are not alone: A sample of international policy challenges and issues

Abstract

International trade in information technology involves political, economic, and military factors that are highly interrelated, making U.S. policy formulation a complex process which requires extensive data on foreign and domestic policies and technological capabilities. An analysis of U.S. policy for controlling the reexport of high‐technology goods provides an example of this interdependence. Four primary points are emphasized throughout the paper: (1) there seems to be only limited appreciation of how different issues get entangled in the international arena; (2) the data on which to base policy decisions regarding information technology do not exist in a readily available and usable form; (3) there is little understanding of the technological status and policy support for information technology in other countries; and (4) the people needed to analyze international developments and policies in the information technologies are not being trained.